Michigan Primary Tests Progressive Push in Senate Race

Michigan Democrats will choose their Senate nominee on August 4 in a contest that highlights tensions between the party’s progressive wing and its establishment leadership. The outcome could influence how Democrats approach foreign policy and economic messaging ahead of the 2028 cycle.

Abdul El-Sayed, 41, a former Detroit health director and 2018 gubernatorial candidate, faces Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary. El-Sayed has emphasized Medicare for All, reduced military aid to Israel, and criticism of corporate influence. Stevens, who represents suburban Detroit, has drawn support from party leaders and outside groups focused on pro-Israel positions. A third candidate, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, withdrew without endorsing either.

Outside spending has exceeded $15 million, according to multiple reports, with the largest share from the United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-linked super PAC. El-Sayed has faced repeated attacks over his comments on Iran policy and associations with progressive figures. On a leaked call after the February assassination of Ali Khamenei, El-Sayed noted that many residents in Dearborn, home to a large Muslim community, were saddened. CNN host Jake Tapper pressed him on the remark during a July 19 interview. Stevens surrogates, including Rep. Hillary Scholten, have linked El-Sayed to other candidates who later faced allegations, though records show only joint fundraising emails rather than joint campaign events.

El-Sayed’s operations director, Tara Terpstra, previously promoted supplements from Nerium, a company accused in lawsuits and by the FTC of operating a pyramid scheme and making unsubstantiated health claims, including that its EHT product could treat Alzheimer’s. A federal judge ruled in 2023 that Nerium was not a pyramid scheme under federal law. El-Sayed has publicly criticized medical misinformation and unproven remedies; no public evidence shows he knew of Terpstra’s earlier work when he hired her in 2016. El-Sayed holds an M.D. and Ph.D. but has never completed residency and does not hold a license to practice clinical medicine.

Stevens has stated she does not share views expressed by some supporters who questioned El-Sayed’s background in personal terms. El-Sayed has urged his own supporters to avoid personal attacks on Stevens. Both candidates have traded accusations over character and associations rather than detailed policy exchanges on health care costs or economic development.

The race has drawn national attention because El-Sayed’s platform aligns with positions that gained ground among Democratic primary voters in other states this cycle. Whether those positions can prevail in a general-election swing state remains the central unresolved question.